Custom moves are a feature in both Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but are most prominent in Smash 4. In that game, every character (save for the DLC fighters) has access to two custom versions of each of their special moves. In Ultimate, only the Mii Fighters have custom versions of their special moves — and they do not need to be unlocked.
General Information
As you might expect, custom moves were much more relevant in Smash 4 than in Smash Ultimate. That’s because, in this game, every character has them. The most notable custom move in competitive amiibo tournaments is a tie — Marth and Lucina’s Iai Counter and Pikachu’s Thunder Burst. Iai Counter increased the strength of the attack, allowing Marth and Lucina to score one-hit KOs if they countered a smash attack from heavyweights like Bowser or Ganondorf. Thunder Burst nearly single-handedly carried Pikachu’s tour results, as the move consisted of multiple hits that pierced shields and dealt great damage. Another notable example of a useful custom move is Pac-Man’s Dire Hydrant. For this attack, the hydrant projectile it normally drops is replaced with a timed explosion. With this equipped, Pac-Man’s FP became much less likely to spam the move. Villager’s Timber Counter and Mario’s Gust Cape are additional examples of viable (but not necessarily notable) custom moves in this game.
For the most part, custom moves were completely removed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Mii Fighters, however, still have access to theirs, and some of them have been changed from the previous title. Of these, Gunner Missile – one of Mii Gunner’s side specials – is undeniably the strongest, and it is even banned from certain tournaments on rare occasions. You can find out which custom moves are optimal for each character via our training guides.
Acquisition
In Smash 4, custom moves can be obtained from Trophy Rush, Smash Run, and Master Orders, depending on the version of the game being played. The best way to farm them, however, is to use amiibo Powersaves to max out a Figure Player’s gift value. Then, tap it on the amiibo menu and receive all of its randomly-generated rewards. Sadly, custom moves in this game are in fact given out randomly. This means they take a long time to unlock. Fortunately, software such as amiibo Powersaves can manually change a Figure Player’s training data to give them certain custom moves. As a result, custom moves are much easier to obtain on FPs than they are for human players in competitive Smash 4 tournaments. In Smash Ultimate, the Mii Fighters have their custom moves unlocked by default.
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